This invention relates to improved hockey sticks, and in particular, but not exclusively, to hockey sticks intended for outfield players.
In this Specification, various terms are used to describe the shape and geometry of the hockey sticks of this invention and these terms will now be explained with particular reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings. All measurements of distance or related constants are given in centimetres (cm), and all angular measurements or constants are given in degrees. In the accompanying drawings most of the various embodiments of hockey sticks are viewed from the back, (i.e. showing the non-playing side) and references to vertical, horizontal, rearward, forward etc, refer to the stick when viewed in the orientation of FIG. 1, that is with the axis of the handle and shaft generally vertical, with the toe painting away from the player (i.e. forwardly). However some are viewed from the front (i.e. showing the playing side of the stick) and this will be apparent because in these Figures the toe will be to the left of the shaft as viewed.
Playing on the open stick means playing the stick forehand in the usual attitude with the toe of the stick pointing away from the player and the bulk of the stick on the player""s right hand side, and playing on the reverse stick means playing the stick backhand with the stick flipped through 180xc2x0 around the axis of the handle, so that the toe is nearest the ground and the bulk of the stick lies an the player""s left hand side. When the stick is held on the reverse stick side with the free end of the toe in contact with the ground and the shaft held mare or less parallel to the ground, the action is known as a reverse stick block.
The traditional form hockey stick is made up of tour portions, namely a handle 1, a shaft 2, a head 3, and a toe 4. The handle extends for the upper part (e.g. three-fifths or so) of the stick, merging with the shaft 2 which occupies the majority of the remaining part of the stick. The head 3 occupies a small proportion of the vertical dimension at the base of the stick, but the bulk of the horizontal dimension. The head lies intermediate the shaft and the toe. The toe 4 lies at the lowest free end of the stick, and the region of the outer edge of the stick adjacent the merger of the head and the shaft is referred to as the heel. The front area of the stick is known as the face and is the allowable playing surface.
The perpendicular distance across the face between the edges 5 and 6 at any point is defined as the width of the face (F). The edge 5 furthest away from the player when the stick is held in open stick is the inner edge and the other edge 6 is the outer edge.
The handle 1 has traditionally bean straight in the vertical dimension and the central axis of the handle has continued directly into the shaft portion which has also tended to have straight edges 5 and 6.
In many conventional sticks, the first curve is forward in direction, beginning at and defining the upper extent of the head portion 3. A forward curve is an anti-clockwise rotation, when viewing the back of the stick, starting from the handle end and moving towards the toe end.
In a traditional stick, the head may be taken to be the curved portion at the base of the shaft, the notional dividing line between the shaft and the head being a horizontal line running through the point or region where the generally straight outer edge of the shaft meets the outer curved edge of the head. However, if the shaft of the stick incorporates a curve before it reaches the head, the head is defined as the lowermost forward curving element. The notional dividing fine between the shaft and the head in this instance is defined by taking the lowermost vertical tangent line to the inner edge of the stick, and the lowermost vertical tangent line to the outer edge of the stick, determining the higher point of contact of these tangent lines to the stick, and taking as the notional dividing line a horizontal line intersecting the higher point of contact.
The head although predominantly curved, may have straight or near-straight sections within it that break up the curvature of the inner or outer edge of the head.
The toe 4 is usually rounded, forming the lower end of the stick, having a distal edge which meets both the inner and outer edges of the head. The national dividing line of contact between the head and toe is defined by reference to the principle inflexion point 7 on the inner edge of the head, i.e. the last inflexion point before the edge begins to curve convexly into the toe. Minor variations in curvature such as indicated at 5 in FIG. 8 should be ignored. The toe region should be short and usually no more than a 2 cm extension upon the head. The toe may be cut away or truncated as shown by the dotted lines 21 in FIGS. 1 and 2. Likewise the heel may be cut away in some sticks, as in FIG. 36.
The current rules of the game lay certain restrictions upon the shape of a stick. These are detailed with reference to FIG. 4. The width of the face of the stick (F) must not exceed 5 cm and the stick must pass entirely through a ring of metal of 5 cm internal diameter known as a xe2x80x9cstick ringxe2x80x9d. The height of toe (T) must not exceed 10 cm. Further the Rules Board make the following recommendation: the forward deviation (Cf) should not exceed 2 cm, the rearward deviation (Cr) should not exceed 2 cm.
Over the years the design of the hockey stick has changed from sticks with long and gentle curved heads to sticks with short and/or tightly curved heads. FIGS. 9(a) to (n) show schematically the variation in stick design and its development over the years, with FIGS. 9(o) and (p) showing sticks in accordance with the invention.
All sticks have three operational axes, each being defined by a line that runs from the top of the handle to the base of the head. The rotational axis of the handle runs down the median line of the handle and continues down to the head. The spatial axis starts at the top of the handle and ends at the central rotation point of the head, that is the lowest point of the outer edge of the head, and is the predominant axis of rotation in game play due to the physical presence of the head against the ground. The axis of balance is defined by the line of even weight distribution down the length of the stick and is the line that the stick would most comfortably rotate around in free space.
When designing a stick it is desirable to bring these three axes close together, hence making handling of the stick during play as comfortable as possible. In most prior art sticks, these axes have a spread of around 4-5 cms.
Furthermore, it is desirable to increase the playing surface available when the player is playing reverse stick or backhand, balancing the playing ability on both sides. It is also important to prevent the possibility of a hockey ball passing through the gap between the stick and the ground when in a reverse stick block.
There have been several attempts to satisfy at least some of these criteria. British Patent Specification 2115296 describes a stick in which the head is a compact U-shaped hook bending through about 180xc2x0, typified by the stick shown in FIG. 9(d). The gap between the head and the shaft is of elongate form gradually tapering and terminating at its highest position with a gape which is made as small as possible, whilst still allowing the stick to pass the xe2x80x9cring passxe2x80x9d test, and is typically about half the width of the shaft region. Whilst this form of stick has some benefits, particularly in respect of the reverse stick block, it provides an ungainly movement in rotation due to the size of the upturned limb of the head which displaces the axis of balance from the rotational axis.
European Published Application 0165096 discloses a hockey stick in which the lower end of the shaft is curved rearwardly, then correctionally forwardly before meeting the head which is curved forwardly to bring the sweet spot of the head onto the longitudinal axis of the handle whilst making the head of the stick symmetrical about the same longitudinal axis. This eases rotation about the ball by bringing the spatial axis onto the rotational axis of the handle and a typical form of such a stick is shown in FIGS. 9(e) or 9(j). Although such a slick has advantages when used in the reverse stick block position and the symmetry helps equate the playing ability on the open and reverse stick sides, the stick has a failing that, in balancing the position of the head, the mass distribution of the stick about the central axis is unbalanced by the mass of the shaft on the rearward side, moving the axis of balance away from the rotational axis of the handle. Furthermore, recommendations of the Rule Board restrict the rearward displacement to 2 cm and the head produced is substantially compact with a small gape (as herein defined), generally less than 1.5 cm
British Patent 2205757B discloses an arrangement in which the lower end of the shaft has a zig-zag shape comprising a forward curve 19 continuing into a rearward curve and a correctional forward curve from which the head curves around to provide a small gape (as herein defined) of typically 1 cm (see for example FIG. 9(k)). This form of stick is better balanced than some of the above sticks but still exhibits only a compact playing area on the open and reverse stick sides and the gape (as herein defined) is likewise small.
As a professional coach, I have analysed the features of existing sticks and also the dynamics of the strategy of the game itself. I have found that player""s skill and ball control can be considerably improved by redesigning the stick to provide the unusual and innovative feature of a catching region which allows a player to cradle the hockey ball when on the ground to allow stable catching and movement of the ball, which I refer to as xe2x80x9ccatchingxe2x80x9d. Furthermore, in the preferred aspects, the catching feature allows the potential for the stick to be rolled around the ball from the open to reverse position and back without having to lift the head of the stick from the ground or vary the position of the hands from a comfortable dribbling position, whilst leaving the ball undisturbed in the process which I refer to as xe2x80x9ccirculationxe2x80x9d.
Accordingly, I have designed a range of hockey sticks which have enlarged heads exhibiting a generous gape and which are shaped to allow closer control of the ball when the stick is used face down to trap and drag or swing the ball along the ground. In a preferred aspect, when the stick is used to propel the ball from side to side from the open to reverse stick in a comfortable dribbling action the illustrated embodiments are guided by contact between the stick and the ground, thus providing a novel effect not available in prior art sticks. Furthermore in their preferred configurations my range of sticks provide good mass distribution to assist balance and handling together with extended and balanced playing area for both forward and reverse stick shots and control whilst preventing the passage of the ball beneath the shaft when the stick is laid in a reverse stick block.
Accordingly, in a broad aspect, this invention provides a hockey stick having a maximum gape (as herein defined) of at least 3 cm between the limbs of the head and the shaft. Preferably the head has a curvature of at least 140xc2x0. The maximum gape is preferably at least 3.5 cm, and in some embodiments approximately 5.5 cm.
Depending on which control feature is required, the gape (G) and the maximum gape height (H) may be selected in accordance with one or more of the following relationships, as follows:
G greater than 7.7xe2x88x922H/5
G greater than 7.65xe2x88x924H/11
G greater than 10.3xe2x88x924H/5
G greater than 5H/6xe2x88x921.25
Advantageously the gape (G), the perpendicular distance (L) from the centre of the gape circle to the centre of a notional hockey ball cradled by said gape circle, and the gape playing angle (xcex1) (as herein defined) obey the following relationship:
G greater than 2 L tan xcex1
Preferably the toe height (T) (as herein defined) is greater than 8 cm.
Preferably the overall width of the head (W) (as herein defined) is greater than 12.5 cm.
Preferably the circumference of rotation (Cor) on the outer edge of the head between the open stick rotational contact point (RCPo) and the reverse stick rotational contact point (RCPr) (as herein defined) is greater than 11 cm.
In the preferred embodiments of this invention the playing surface toe extension (PSTE) (as herein defined) is greater than 3.5 and preferably is greater than 4.5 cm.
The stick may advantageously incorporate a rearward curve in the region of the stick adjacent the merger of the shalt and the head. Likewise a zig zag configuration may also be advantageously incorporated.
The head of the stick may have a face with an inclined or shallow conical profile.
The angle or angles of inclination of said surface to a notional vertical plane may lie in the range of up to 20xc2x0, and typically from 5xc2x0 to 15xc2x0.
In another aspect this invention provides a hockey stick wherein at least the head is formed of a plurality of laminar elements having interposed therebetween reinforcing elements of a reinforcing material. The laminar elements may extend in planes generally parallel to the playing surface of the stick, or they may extend in planes generally perpendicular to the playing surface, and generally follow the line of the curve of the head. The reinforcing material may be selected from the group comprising carbon fibre material, glass or mineral fibre material, and synthetic fibre material, such as quartz aramid fibre. The reinforcing elements extend across substantially the whole of the width of the laminar elements, or they may be at least partially received in recesses in said laminar elements and extend across only part of the width thereof. The laminar elements may be of wood but other materials are not excluded
According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a hockey stick having an enlarged head region incorporating the stick head, the head region being shaped and dimensioned with regard to the diameter of a standard hockey ball such that from a position in which the stick is placed face down on a hockey ball with the lowermost portion of the outer edge of the head on the ground, the stick may be twisted in one sense to an open stick playing position and in the other sense to a reverse stick playing position, in each case with the outer edge of the stick in rolling contact with the ground and without significantly disturbing or encroaching on said hockey ball.